Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno announced plans on Friday to establish a state-owned electricity framework, following the amendment of the Electricity Act.

Mr Zulum disclosed this during a meeting with the managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, at the government house in Maiduguri.

The governor stated that plans by his administration to establish a state-owned electricity company were at an advanced stage.

“I am very much aware of the new Electricity Act, Section 152/153, which clearly states that electricity is now under the concurrent legislative list.

“This is something very important. I have started working on it. A draft memorandum has been submitted to me on how the state will establish its own electricity outfit,” he said.

He noted that the state had made significant investments in solar power, highlighting that most health facilities and many schools, including the Mega Schools, were solar powered.

Mr Zulum said the state’s water treatment plants operate on solar energy, and its industrial park has five megawatts of solar capacity.

“Borno is one of the states that has invested in solar power generation,” he said, noting that the state had established several mini solar stations.

Earlier, the REA managing director, Abba Aliyu, stated that their visit was part of efforts to implement the rural electricity supply framework in the state.

The meeting was attended by the secretary to the Borno State government, Bukar Tijani; the head of service, Muhammad Ghuluze; members of the state executive council; and other senior officials.

(NAN)